"This thing gets worse and worse and worse," said a local minister who knew Victoria Martens and her mother

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Michelle Martens (left) and Fabian Gonzales are seen in their August 25, 2016, booking photos. The pair are charged along with another person with killing a 10-year-old girl in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Martens' daughter.

The mother of a 10-year-old New Mexico girl who was found dead and dismembered told police she looked for men online and at work to sexually assault her daughter, according to search warrants in the case.

The documents showed Michelle Martens told police that she had set up encounters with at least three men before the girl was drugged, raped and killed last month.

The single mother told investigators she didn't set up the sexual assaults for the money but did it because she enjoyed watching, according to the warrants. It's unclear how long she had been arranging meetings before Victoria Martens' death or if police have identified any of those men.

Police found the girl's dismembered body inside the apartment she shared with her mother on the day she was expected to celebrate her 10th birthday. The slaying ignited outcry and vigils.

Michelle Martens, Fabian Gonzales and Jessica Kelley — a cousin of Gonzales' — have been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated criminal sex penetration of child under 13. Victoria was stabbed and strangled.

Martens' attorney, Mark Earnest, did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press.

Her statement to police is included in nearly a dozen search warrants to search a safe in Martens' apartment, her car, and electronic devices discovered during the investigation, including a camcorder they believed may have been used for sexual exploitation of children.

Investigators also sought DNA evidence from the suspects, as well as multiple electronic devices.